Can't Sleep on a Night Like This
by nevertalk
Summary: To Phoenix's relief, Maya is safe from the clutches of Shelly de Killer. To his dismay, he and Maya are booked for a honeymoon suite in celebration, courtesy of Pearl. Will her plan work?


Lavish was the only word that came to mind when most people described the Gatewater Imperial Hotel. The interior looked as if the building were plated in gold, accentuated with the royal red carpets and Victorian pillars at every side. Endless crystal chandeliers lit the way and the main hall served bountiful feasts at all times of the day.

Ironic then, perhaps, that the only noise coming from Phoenix Wright's lips was complaining.

"Ugh... so much for my payment for the last three days..." he moaned, dragging his feet every step of the way towards the hotel lobby. "Lotta's camera, all that food, and now Pearls charged this stupid hotel room to my card..." He ended his sentence by holding his head in his hands and letting out a groan.

Maya Fey moved in step at his side and gently nudged him. "Dinner was all I really wanted. We don't have to stay if you don't want..."

Phoenix sighed and looked back to where he was going, shaking his head. "No. It's non-refundable and I've apparently already paid for it. Besides, after everything you've been through the past couple days you could use a nicer place to sleep than my tiny guest room."

"I'll say. You should build me a nice, enclosed balcony, Nick."

"...I can't build additions onto an apartment," Phoenix replied as the pair reached the front desk. He turned to the man behind the counter. "There should be reservations for 'Wright?'" he wagered. "Or, um, possibly 'Mr. Nick'..."

The receptionist cocked his eyebrow at the addendum but thumbed through the registry for a moment anyway. "Ah, here we are," he said as he turned to fetch the appropriate key card. "Mr. and Mrs. Wright, room 503."

"Erm, we aren't married..." Phoenix instinctively explained.

The man behind the desk pulled the key card back just enough to keep it from Phoenix's reach. "The honeymoon suite is for married couples on their _honeymoon_, sir," he replied. "I'm not sure how you managed to reserve-"

"Wh-what I mean is we aren't _just_ married," Phoenix interrupted nervously. "We're bonded for life into a single beating heart of, um, love... Yeah."

The receptionist's raised eyebrow returned at full force. Phoenix only grimaced sheepishly and snatched away the key card, ushering Maya away from his awkward conversation as quickly as possible. However almost immediately after leaving his pace began to slow again.

"Nick, what was that?" Maya asked.

"The only way to get the room. S-sorry, that was all I could think of..."

"Oh... Wh-whatever, just pick up your feet," Maya complained. "We're gonna spend our whole night in this hallway if you keep walking like an old man!"

"Sorry, sorry," Phoenix repeated. He jammed his thumb on the elevator call button and miraculously found it already opening on the ground floor.

"I know all your hard earned money just got wasted, but come on, cheer up already," Maya insisted as they entered the elevator and headed to the fifth floor. "I'm still alive and Engarde's rotting in prison. That has to count for something, right?"

Phoenix finally cracked a smile. "Yeah, that's true." He chuckled to himself. "I still can't believe everything worked out. I guess I can just consider this payment for the miracle that occurred... plus that bastard's the one paying for it all."

Maya smiled in kind. "That's the spirit! You'd be such a Gloomy Gus without me."

The smile lingered on Phoenix's face as he and Maya left the elevator and walked the few feet to room 503. The lawyer inserted his the key card into the electronic lock and turned the handle. As the door opened and Phoenix hit the light they were met with a room larger than their office and just as ritzy as the rest of the hotel.

"Woooooooooooooow!" Maya exclaimed as she barged into the room and stood in the middle of it. She spun in a circle taking everything in and making her hair fly outwards from her body. "If rich people spend a single night in a room like this just imagine how they must live every day!"

Phoenix stepped inside and shut the door behind himself. "Considering this single night cost nearly a month's rent, I'm not sure I want to..."

Ignoring the boring budget talk, Maya rushed over to the first thing that really caught her interest. "Nick, Nick, look! There's a fridge over here with food!"

"Maya, no. That costs extra and I'm not selling an organ just so you can gorge yourself on more snacks. Wasn't that banquet enough?"

"But... one of my stomachs is still empty..."

"Then that stomach is just going to have to deal with it." With that, Phoenix too began taking in the scenery. The first thing that caught his eye was the large window just past the bed that led out to a small balcony. The view was an impressive stretch of L.A. and all its lights.

That was when Phoenix's attention went back to something he had just literally overlooked. "Um, Maya..." he started.

"We are so stealing all these towels," was the reply from the bathroom.

"Maya..."

"What?" the medium asked as she stepped back out to the main room with an armload of bath towels.

Phoenix pointed to where his attention was drawn. "There's only one bed. Uh... I can take the chair, I guess."

Maya rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Nick, we're both adults. Plus you totally saved my life today, so I think I can trust you."

"A-are you sure?"

Maya tossed him the pile of towels at him and retorted, "Of course I am! You worry too much."

Phoenix plucked a towel from his face and set it on the bedside table. "Oh... alright. Guess I'll get ready for bed then."

Maya balked at his casual statement. "_Bed__?_ Nick, you can't just go to bed!"

Despite Maya's proclamation, he sat on the edge of the large, king sized mattress. "Maya, I'm exhausted. I could barely sleep at all the past few days and this bed is really, really nice."

"Really?" Maya asked.

"Yeah, feel it."

"N-no, I mean... you couldn't sleep?"

"Well no," he replied like it was obvious. "You were kidnapped and... Engarde really was guilty. I didn't know what I could do to save you. I thought I might lose you..."

Maya placed a hand on her chest. It already seemed so long ago to her but it really was just earlier in the day. "Nick, I..." She shook the thoughts from her head. "R-regardless, you can't just go to bed! How often do we have a nice honeymoon suite all to ourselves? We need to do... I dunno, honeymoon stuff!"

It was Phoenix's turn to react with a start. "Wh-what?"

"I-I didn't mean _that_ honeymoon stuff!" Maya insisted with cheeks both puffed from annoyance and red from embarrassment. "Sheesh. I mean this hotel has to have like a pool or something awesome we can't do at home."

"Probably, but I didn't pack my trunks."

Maya's forehead wrinkled with a frown as she thought things over. Then, with a flash of inspiration, her face lit right back up. "I've got it!" she exclaimed. "Come on!"

She grabbed Phoenix by the hand and led a bemused lawyer out of their room and back to the elevator. With great excitement she pressed the button for the top floor and bounced with energy Phoenix could only covet as they ascended. He vaguely wondered if the kidnapping had even phased her at all.

"Maya, where are we going?" he asked.

"You'll see!" she replied enthusiastically.

"That's not exactly filling me with anticipation..."

"That's because you're old and boring."

The elevator chimed and the doors slid open to reveal the top floor. However, instead of dashing outside Maya only looked disappointed. She stepped forward and looked around in the hall as if there was something missing. Phoenix moved off the elevator as well and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I thought this would take us to the roof," Maya pouted.

"Most places don't want people on their roofs. Wait, why the heck would you want to go to the roof anyway?"

Maya turned around and crossed her arms. "...Because I've been locked in a crummy cellar for the past three days. I just wanted some fresh air and open sky and... I don't know. It's probably a stupid idea anyway..."

Phoenix looked at her sympathetically. As rough as the entire case had been on him he could not even imagine what it had been like for her. "I don't think there's much fresh air to be had in L.A. We could always just use the balcony in our room."

Maya only frowned without a word. She glanced at the elevator without moving towards it.

Phoenix looked her over for a short time and made up his mind. He placed his hand at the top of her back and started leading her forward. "Come on," he said. "There's bound to be some stairs to the roof around here somewhere."

The medium's excitement returned in an instant. "What, seriously? Nick, you're awesome!"

"I thought I was old and boring," Phoenix replied with a smirk.

"...In an awesome way."

Phoenix roughly chuckled in response. Eventually the pair found the stairwell and came face to face with a metal gate about as tall as Phoenix barring the path upward. A quick glance showed that it was locked but the attorney rattled it just for show.

"So much for that idea," he sighed. Granted he didn't really share Maya's enthusiasm with going to the roof but he at least figured it was something he could do for her after her ordeal.

"You'll never make samurai status if you give up that easily," Maya rebuked. With that, she threw herself on the gate causing a cacophonous metal clattering to echo throughout the stairwell.

Phoenix quickly plucked his assistant from the gate and held her in restraint. "Maya, what the heck are you doing! Are you trying to get us kicked out of here?"

Maya flailed indignantly like a cat held at arm's length. "Pfft, no, I'm _trying_ to get to the roof. What are they going to do, ban us from some place we can't even afford to come back to?"

Phoenix dropped her to her feet and sighed. "Or possibly call the police... Ugh, fine. I'll give you a boost. I can't believe I'm doing this..."

"Maybe I'm just rubbing off on you," Maya guessed as she placed a sandaled foot in his hands and was lifted to the top of the gate.

"Then if I rub off on you does that mean you'll start buying lunch?"

"There you go with that again," Maya chastised as she dropped to the other side of the gate. "Hey, look, it locks from this side!" She opened the way for her partner in crime and gestured up the stairs with her hand. "Ladies first!"

Phoenix snorted and walked past her. "I guess I'll go then since I certainly don't see any ladies around here."

Maya swatted him across the back and rushed past him to beat him to the top. As she opened the door she flinched slightly at the burst of wind that got inside but quickly overcame it and stepped out into the open. She stood in place and her gaze roamed upwards with a look of wonderment overtaking her.

As the second one out, Phoenix was met with a scene straight out of a movie. Silhouetted against a canvas of night sky was Maya Fey, her robes and hair billowing gently in the breeze and soft light outlining her shape. In that instant he understood her desire to come up here. Slow steps closed the distance to her and he found his tongue lying uselessly in his mouth. Nothing he could say could add to the sight.

Maya turned over her shoulder with a beaming smile on her face. "Isn't it beautiful?" she gasped. "Up above the city lights you can see all the stars! It's like being in Kurain... only instead of a mountain it's a building." She placed her hand to her cheek in thought. "Really, they should have called this hotel 'Mt. Gatewater'."

Phoenix only studied the pale moonlight on her expression, suddenly realizing just how much he had missed that face the past few days. Maybe that smile was what he was fighting for the whole time. He laughed softly and simply replied, "Yeah," under his breath. He cast his gaze up with hers and had a second realization: she was absolutely right. He had never seen the stars so clearly.

While staring upward, Phoenix felt an impact on his chest. He looked down to see Maya smiling up at him as she sank into him on her back for support.

"Happy now?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Way better than some dark basement. Plus I bet we're the first people to ever be up here!"

"What about the people who built the hotel?"

Maya batted the notion out of the air with a swipe of her hand. "Pfft, I mean besides them. We totally conquered this mountain, Nick. We need a flag to put on it."

Phoenix rolled his eyes. "Yeah... I left all my flags with my swim trunks."

Maya shoved herself off his chest and turned around to face him. "Gimmie your tie," she ordered.

Phoenix took a step back. "What? Maya, no."

"Oh come on, I know it didn't cost that much."

"You don't know that!"

Maya only started at him blankly with her hand outstretched.

"Okay, it didn't, but still. I'm not leaving my tie up here."

Maya tossed her hands in the air. "But then how will we prove to everyone else we were here first?"

"You know, I really doubt anyone else in their right mind would climb to the roof of a hotel..."

"Even better!" Maya decided. "That way some jerk won't vandalize our flag. It'll be our special spot forever!" She turned her head coyly. "Maya and Nick's Mt. Gatewater Peak. You know it has a nice ring to it."

Maybe it was the thrill of being in an area that was off limits. Maybe it was the rarity of seeing such a clear night sky. Maybe he had finally just succumbed to Maya's every whim, but somehow Phoenix found himself undoing his neck wear. "Only if I get top billing," he defeatedly requested as his one condition.

Maya's smile reappeared. "Well... I guess it is your flag..."

"Tie," he corrected. "It's a tie."

"Not any more it's not!" Maya chirped and plucked the article of clothing from his hand.

Her head darted around before she spotted the perfect place. She skipped over to a small antenna and tied the magenta garment to it as tightly as she could. After stepping back to admire her handy work she gave a salute to her makeshift flag.

"I claim Mt. Gatewater in the name of the Wright and Company Law Office!" she proclaimed.

Phoenix let out a humored exhale and watched his tie flutter in the wind. "Those fools down below don't even know we've conquered them yet."

Maya grinned and walked back over to Phoenix to fall back onto him. It was getting chilly so high up at night and he had a surplus of body heat, she decided. He sank to the roof and placed his hands behind him to support the both of them as they just continued observing the sky.

"You know, Nick," she started, "it took some coaxing but you were pretty cool tonight."

"So glad you approve," Phoenix remarked sarcastically.

"I mean it." She smiled off into the distance. "Thanks, Nick. Up here it's like everything that happened is just a distant memory."

Phoenix only nodded quietly. He watched the moon along with Maya and simply enjoyed the moment. Only a few hours ago he had been sweating bullets with his stomach twisted in knots, walking a tightrope of enraging an assassin and letting a guilty man walk free. Now there was nothing around him but the calm of the night, a cool breeze, and a happy, very alive young woman contentedly seated in front of him. Even the buzz of the city several stories below was muted as if out of consideration for the two of them.

"Is... there something you want to do?" Maya eventually asked, bringing him back to reality.

"Hmm?" Phoenix asked, not taking his eyes from the sky.

"Well, we did what I wanted to do. As reward for not being a lame old fart we can do something you want to too."

Phoenix chuckled. "Maybe something that doesn't cost me more money or clothing?"

"So strip poker's out of the question?" Maya teased.

The lawyer sat in deliberate silence. He knew better than to encourage her.

"I'm just kidding, Nick. You know it has to be something fun we can only do while we're here..." Maya stood up and turned around to face her friend and giggled, "Like throwing your attorney's badge off the ledge to see if it reaches terminal velocity and kills someone!"

"My _badge?_" Phoenix remarked with feigned indignation. He rose to his feet as well. "Now you've gone too far! Er, and killing people. Too far there too."

"Nice priorities, old man." Maya followed her taunt by sticking out her tongue. "Bet I can snatch the badge from your chest without you even noticing."

Not giving her the chance, the lawyer pounced on his assistant, grabbing hold of her squirming form. Try as she might, Maya was simply too small to escape his clutches and soon found herself pinned to the roof. She saw a spark in Phoenix's eyes that both thrilled and scared her. She knew he was enjoying himself but she also knew it was going to be at her expense. Unfortunately, with her arms trapped under his she was at his mercy.

"You want to throw something off the roof, huh?" he taunted. "Maybe your magatama... maybe your hair beads..."

Maya felt her cheeks flush as she watched his eyes roam over her body. He likely had no idea what he was doing to her in this position. "Y-you wouldn't dare!" she challenged, just to keep those thoughts from her head.

Phoenix looked her in the eyes smugly. "I don't know... Threats against my badge are a pretty serious offense..."

He lifted his hands from her giving Maya a brief moment of relief but also time to worry of just what he was planning. Her mind clicked over and she realized her fate just as it happened. Soon Phoenix's fingertips were on her ribs and her mouth flung open in giggles. He knew her weakness.

Helpless, Maya let out peals of laughter while the attorney set about his ticklish assault. She kicked her legs but found nothing but air. Her pleading and wriggling were interrupted by her riotous howling. Even her attempts to turn the tables and tickle him back were defeated by her own convulsions. Phoenix had her good.

Eventually, with tears of laughter blocking her vision, she felt Phoenix stop and roll off her. She laid on her back with her chest heaving and tried to calm down from her high. She could hear him still chuckling next to her.

"Y-you... you are such a jerk, Nick," she panted as she wiped her eyes.

That only made him chuckle harder. "Oh? Sounded like you were having a good time to me," he goaded.

Maya rolled her head to her side to glare at the total jerk lying next to her. She saw him turn to look at her as well and so she equipped her usual pout. "I am never offering to do what you want to do again," she swore.

"Who said that was what I chose?" Phoenix teased. "I mean, it's not like we had to be in an awesome hotel for that."

Too exhausted to get up and hit him, Maya settled for flopping her arm over on him in a weak backhand that landed somewhere in the vicinity of his chest. To her frustration, he only laughed off the blow.

Maya pulled her hand back in to brush her hair out of her face and once again looked to the stars. She said nothing else for fear of inciting more of Phoenix's rare mischievous side. Usually she was the one getting the better of him. Usually he was the voice of reason talking her down or discouraging the very ideas that got them to this roof in the first place. Something had set him loose. Maya idly wondered if all the recent stress had finally driven the poor man insane... or if it was something else. Could it have been something as simple as just her?

"You're not giving me the silent treatment, are you?" Phoenix asked.

"No," Maya immediately denied, coming back to reality. "You'd like that too much. I'm just catching my breath because _someone_ reverted to his childhood tonight."

Phoenix grinned at her. "Hey, I was just looking for something to throw off the roof. Wasn't that _your_ idea?"

"Hmph. Maybe you can throw _yourself_ off."

Phoenix pushed himself into a hunched sitting position with his arms resting on his knees. "You're not going to be mad at me the rest of the night now, are you?"

"Maybe."

"Even after all that food and this trip to the roof? You even said I was cool!"

Maya sighed. "Alright, alright. Maybe you were a _little_ cool. But still, what got into you, old man?"

Phoenix looked into the sky is if to search for his answer. He smiled complacently, pleased to see he was still in her favor. "I'm not really sure. I guess that was just my way of reminding myself you're still here." He looked back down to Maya's reclining form. "After nearly losing you twice in less than a year maybe it finally hit home I can't take you for granted..."

Maya looked away from his eyes. "I'm sorry, Nick," she confessed.

"Sorry? For what? None of this was your fault."

"I just wish you didn't have to save me all the time. I... I even escaped from De Killer too but..."

Phoenix doubled his focus on her. "You did?"

Maya nodded and tentatively looked back to him. "I found this card and jimmied the lock on that cellar he stuffed me in. That was how I found that picture I wrote a note on and that little wooden bear with the weird cuts in it... but then he just caught me again." Her head sank and she looked back to her lap.

"But that bear helped me win the case, Maya." Phoenix paused and scratched the back of his head. "Er, I guess I lost the case, but you get what I mean."

"Really?"

Phoenix nodded.

Maya rubbed her chin. "What about that picture with the note? You found that too, right?"

"Sure did. It helped in court too."

"Y-you read my note in court?" Maya asked, suddenly panicked.

"No, no, the picture itself... Although that note still helped me out. As long as I knew you were okay I knew I could keep fighting."

The medium smiled slightly.

Phoenix stood up and extended his hand to Maya. "You were every bit a part of this victory today. I don't ever want to hear you beat yourself up again, okay? If you do, I'm tickling you again."

Maya looked at Phoenix's hand and instead of taking it only puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. "You do and I'm beating _you_ up instead."

Phoenix shrugged. "A small price to pay if it reminds you how important you really are around here."

Maya's pouting turned into a shy smile. "You mean it?"

"I couldn't ask for a better partner or a better friend."

Finally convinced, Maya took Phoenix's hand and let him pull her to her feet. After reaching full height she let go of his hand and encompassed his entire body in a hug. Once she felt him return it, she mumbled, "You're a big dork, Nick, but you're pretty much the best guy in the universe. You know that?"

"I'll stick with 'Attorney at Law' if that's okay. 'Best Dork in the Universe' might look out of place on business cards."

Maya chuckled into his suit front. "Not yours."

Phoenix let go of his assistant and shook his head. "Think we should get to bed before someone catches us up here?" he suggested.

"Hmm... I guess drawing attention to the peak of Mt. Gatewater would turn it into a tourist trap. I'm probably too wound up to get to sleep at this point, though."

"I never said you had to sleep. Just don't keep _me_ up all night, alright?"

Maya turned her head coyly. "Keep you up all night in a honeymoon suite? Just think of the rumors!"

Having had enough, Phoenix began leading his assistant back to the stairwell. "I think Pearls is already more than I can handle. Let's leave that joke on this rooftop, shall we?"

"Mountain peak."

"Whatever."

"Now lead on, Sherpa."

Obligingly, Phoenix undid the lock on the gate and let Maya through it back to the top floor before shutting it behind them. As he strolled behind her he yawned into his palm before using that same hand to hit the elevator call button once they reached their destination.

"Don't fall asleep on me yet," Maya requested as she leaned against the wall of the descending elevator. "You're too big to carry."

Phoenix rubbed at an eye. "I'm awake. I don't think I want you dragging me back to the room."

"Neither would hotel staff. Your hair would rip holes in the carpet."

"So you can pick on me but I'm not allowed to pick on you, huh?"

Maya gave him a mischievous grin. "There, I knew you'd understand."

The elevator let out a ding and opened its doors to the fifth floor. Phoenix rolled his eyes and exited at Maya's side. He rummaged in his pocket for their key card and opened the way to their room. It was no less impressive looking the second time. Maya stepped inside first and stretched with her arms out wide.

"So, you wanna shower first or should I?" she asked.

"Go ahead, I'll do it in the morning," Phoenix decided. "I'm about to fall asleep standing up."

With that, he moved to the window to shut the curtains. The view was somewhat dizzying. Phoenix had never been good with heights so it was rather ironic how fine he had been up on the roof. Perhaps his inability to see the ground bolstered his bravery. Either way, he pulled the thick curtains together and returned to the bed to sit down and take off his shoes. When he heard the bathroom door shut and lock he knew he was safe to go through his things and change into his pajamas. He grumbled at forgetting his favorite baggy shirt but his gym shorts would suffice.

A quick change of clothes later he peeled back the covers and sank into the most comfortable bed he had ever experienced. Phoenix had always had trouble sleeping in strange places before but there would be no challenge here. His eyelids drifted closed and all the worry and torment from the past few days were gone just like that.

"Niiiiick!"

The cry snapped Phoenix from his slumber. He sat up in an adrenaline pumped daze and slapped his hand around on the bedside table to check his phone. He had only been asleep for about 10 minutes.

"Nick, you'd better stop ignoring me!" Maya shouted from the bathroom.

The lawyer groaned and wiped his hands over his face. "What? What is it?" he answered groggily.

"I kinda left all the towels out there when I stole them," Maya explained. "Can... can you bring me one?"

Phoenix groaned again and checked the opposite side of the bed. Sure enough, there was Maya's soft and fluffy haul. He grabbed the first towel he could reach and moved over to the bathroom. He knocked on the door lightly.

"Alright," he said.

The bathroom door opened a crack and Maya's head and arm slipped out to accept the offering. The bare, water-slicked shoulder between them caught Phoenix's attention. Quickly he realized all of her was bare just behind that door. The timid smile on her face peeking out from behind wet strands of hair forced Phoenix to rapidly look away out of modesty. This was certainly never any way he expected to imagine his young assistant.

"Thanks," she tittered softly and slid back inside, shutting the door again.

Phoenix staggered backwards a couple steps and shook the sense back into his head. He was definitely less tired now. Nevertheless, he forced himself back to bed. If Maya was drying off it meant she would be exiting the bathroom soon and he was not about to be caught loitering outside like a pervert. She'd probably make good on that joke about throwing him off the roof, or worse, channel Mia to do it.

It was just a jerk reaction, he told himself. Totally natural. If he _didn't _take notice of cute, naked girls he'd have more problems than just an angry friend. Yes. Friend. Maya was just a friend and she had to stay that way; especially if they were sharing a bed for a night. With a wipe of his face, Phoenix banished any such thoughts from his head. He vaguely blamed Pearl's delusions or the admittedly romantic atmosphere on the roof but once he got to sleep he would forget everything and tomorrow would be another day, same as any other.

The attorney laid on his side and willed sleep to return to him. He then noticed how surprisingly quiet it was in the room. At home he could hear passing traffic clear as day. In this room all he heard was Maya's muted humming from behind the bathroom door. It sounded like the Steel Samurai theme only slowed to a ballad. It scared him that he could still recognize it. He had clearly heard too much of it.

Next he heard the door open and Maya step outside. Her murmured vocalizations indicated she was enjoying a good stretch but Phoenix did not turn to look.

"Thanks, Nick," Maya said as her footsteps grew closer to the bed. Much to his chagrin she turned the light on once she got there.

"No problem," Phoenix answered in a mumble, burying his face into the pillow. "Although this wouldn't have happened if you weren't stealing the hotel's towels, you know."

"Not that. I mean I'm borrowing this old Ivy U shirt I found in your suitcase because I forgot my jammies."

Phoenix sighed. "So I _didn't_ forget it..."

Maya stood by the bed but Phoenix never turned to look at her. She frowned. There she was in his shirt with the hem barely reaching mid-thigh and it was completely wasted on one tired, boring man facing the wrong direction. She briefly considered walking around to the other side of the bed but that would have been far too overt. Instead she relented to crawling into bed next to him (but not too close) and clicking out the light.

"Night," Maya offered.

"Night," Phoenix responded in kind.

He could have sworn she sounded sedated in her goodnight wishes but more than likely she was just as tired as he was. She had every reason, after all. Sleep would do them both some good. In the blessed darkness Phoenix snuggled into his pillow and let himself once again drift away into-

"Nick?" Maya said.

"Mmyeah?" Phoenix mumbled.

Maya did not continue right away. She had spoken without any plotted course, just a jumble of things she wanted to say. Eventually she settled on a single word. "Thanks."

"You've said that a lot tonight," Phoenix noted. He adjusted his pillow but still did not roll over for conversation.

"I guess because I haven't really said it a lot before..." Maya fumbled with her hands beneath the covers as she spoke. "But... you've really always been there for me. N-now don't interrupt. Let me say this..." Maya paused and wondered just what she was trying to say.

As requested, Phoenix said nothing.

"I-I don't know what I'd do without you, Nick. I know I make fun of you a lot and you are a big dork, don't get me wrong, but I think what I'm trying to say is I really feel like I belong with you. When Sis 'passed away' I was so scared but you just showed up like the Steel Samurai and made everything okay."

Maya halted again and felt her heart pounding at her impromptu confession. She noticed Phoenix still had nothing to say. She hoped it was because he was taking things to heart and not mortified or figuring out some way to let her down easy. Her nervousness began to show and so she continued prattling on.

"I... I had a really good time tonight too," she rambled. "I know this hotel is way too expensive and I know we do everything together anyway but... do you think we could do something like this again some time? L-like a date? Or... it doesn't have to be..."

There was no answer. Time stretched on and there still was no response. Maya was too afraid to look over and see the shock or repulsion that must have been on Phoenix's face. How stupid could she have been to ruin the whole evening, maybe even their whole friendship like that? She could feel her body trembling at the horror of what she had done. That was when she finally noticed his breathing. It was soft and slow. Taking the risk to take a peek, she spotted him sound asleep. Her heart dropped.

"Nick," she whispered sadly, "have you heard a thing I've said?"

Phoenix said nothing.

"Nick?"

"Mmhmm... merr welcome..." the attorney mumbled drowsily into his pillow.

With a serrated sigh, Maya exhaled the rest of the meager courage she had built. She stared at her sleeping friend and how peaceful he was under the blanket of shadows. There was no way she could wake him, not when she had already blown her only chance. Tomorrow she'd forget all about it and they'd just stay friends like they were supposed to. It was a lot more comfortable, she attempted to convince herself. Everything she was trying to say was silly anyway. She knew he'd never return her feelings.

She placed her fingers to her lips and, giving them a kiss, softly placed those fingertips against Phoenix's cheek before making herself comfortable and waiting for sleep to take her. Tomorrow would put things back to normal.

* * *

Phoenix rarely slept on his back and so he found it odd to awake in that position. Possibly a result of sleeping in a strange bed, he assumed, slowly remembering where he was. He attempted to push himself to a sitting position but found that he was trapped in place. Normally that was because he despised mornings with every fiber of his being, but this time he was held in bed by something more physical than his own grogginess.

Maya Fey was latched onto him as though he were her teddy bear with her head tucked into the side of his chest.

The lawyer paled instantly at the sight. His first instinct was to rouse her from her slumber to escape but being caught in such a position would have been ridiculously awkward. He just needed to calm down and think with a clear head; preferably without waking her. Surely there was a reasonable way out of her clutches.

His eyes set about discovering that very goal in the dim morning light. She was actually quite cute in her sleep, he noticed. Her long hair was devoid of its usual ornaments and loosely scattered behind her and the arm across him had the sleeve of his Ivy University shirt bunched up around the shoulder. She had likely just coincidentally rolled into the position. Maybe with a little luck, he could discreetly roll her back.

Phoenix slowly, cautiously placed his hand on Maya's arm. He quickly retreated when she heard her murmur at his touch. She stirred slightly and nuzzled into his chest. If she kept this up, his newly increased heart rate and breathing would wake her for sure. Any chance at remaining calm was certainly gone now.

He had to do something. Maya was his best friend and if she woke up to find herself cuddling him she'd be mortified. In a stroke of either genius or idiocy, Phoenix remembered the events of last night. It was time for Plan B.

He carefully reached over himself to Maya's side and, holding his breath, slid his fingers across her ribs. In reaction, Maya let out another vocal recognition to the touch and rolled away in an instinctive attempt to protect herself.

Phoenix let himself relax and shut his eyes in celebration of his success. The feeling lasted no more than a second as he heard the sound of Maya rolling to the floor and hitting with a thump. The medium let out a cry of alarm followed by a series of startled non-words.

In shame, Phoenix slowly rolled over to spot his former bedmate sitting up on the floor. She peeked over the edge of the bed with her messy hair covering her face. Just to prove a point, she irately blew at her strands of hair but they only sank back into place, continuing to obscure her vision.

"Wait until Pearly hears how you kicked me out of bed, Nick," Maya grumbled, still cloudy headed from both sleep and the tumble to the floor.

"Eh heh... sorry," Phoenix expressed sheepishly. Taking the time to notice the bed and not just Maya, he saw how close to the edge they really were. Apparently he was the one who encroached on her side in the middle of the night in the first place. No wonder she had no place to go but into him.

"Hand me my pillow," Maya requested.

"I'll scoot over. You don't have to take the floor."

"Nick. Pillow."

Giving in to her wishes, Phoenix grabbed the medium's pillow and handed it to her. She immediately threw it back into his face.

Phoenix sputtered at the unexpected attack and looked to the woman with a nonplussed expression. "Feel better now?" he asked in total deadpan.

Maya gave him her favorite impish grin. "A little. What time is it?"

Phoenix yawned into his hand. "I dunno. Time to get up, I guess."

The lawyer started out of bed when he noticed Maya stand up and swipe her hair back to the back of her head where it belonged and straighten out her night shirt; _his_ night shirt. The worn, dark green Ivy U logo rested on the modest swell of her breasts and the remainder of the shirt fell loosely like a dress covering just enough leg to make him wonder if there was anything beneath it at all.

Maya delightedly took note of the reaction but was in for a shock of her own as Phoenix overcame the sight and got out from underneath the covers. By taking his shirt for the night she had apparently left him without one. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and she awkwardly stared for a moment before coming to her senses and moved to her suitcase to pretend to do anything besides gawk at her best friend.

"I-I'm going to shower," Phoenix announced, breaking the silence. "While I'm in there you should... clothes. Change. Change clothes. Yeah."

"A-alright. Make sure to get the all the old man smell," Maya countered. She mentally applauded her ability to sound natural and rummaged through her suitcase for her robes.

Once Phoenix had entered the bathroom and securely shut the door, Maya relaxed with a big exhale. She was still doing it. She was crushing hard on her best friend and she knew it. It had hardly been the first time but it was getting harder to control.

Maya pulled her borrowed shirt off, over her head, and turned it around to look at the university logo. She only took it to get a reaction out of him, and she noted that she got one, but the plan had backfired when she spotted him shirtless. The climb from friendship to something more was slippery and dangerous.

With a sigh, Maya held the shirt up and told it, "We'll always have Mt. Gatewater."

The shirt said nothing in return.

Finished speaking to inanimate objects, she tossed the shirt to the bed and began slipping into her acolyte uniform. Soon she would be dressed as she always was, with her hair up the way it always was, and she and Phoenix would treat each other the way they always did. The idea of one of Pearl's plans almost working would be just a memory.

After a time, Phoenix stepped out of the bathroom, still adjusting his lapels. He couldn't help but feel weird without his tie, but it was still serving as a flag on the roof. He spotted Maya brushing her hair in the large wall mirror and walked past her to sit on the bed.

"So did you get to do all the cool stuff you can't do anywhere else you wanted?" he asked her as he put on his shoes.

Maya paused in her brushing. She looked at Phoenix's reflection in the side of the mirror. "Almost," she confessed.

"Well, we're checking out after breakfast so now's your chance."

The medium placed her brush on the table in front of her. He was unwittingly giving her a chance to once again confess everything she tried to last night. It must have been fate. "...You promise you won't think I'm weird?" she asked.

Phoenix chuckled. "I already think you're weird."

The young woman turned her head to see the man's pleasant, indulging smile. She wondered if he had any idea what it was she wanted to say. She briefly considered saying nothing at all, putting all her chips on the table, and tackling him with a kiss. Either way, all she had to do was open her lips and let her heart take over.

"I still haven't had a five star breakfast, so let's go!" she said instead.

Maya grabbed Phoenix by the wrists and dragged him out the door of their room.

"Wanting to eat is weird for you?" Phoenix asked as he struggled to keep his footing against a very determined legal aid.

"This is free with the room, so it doesn't cost you anything."

"Okay, yeah, I suppose that is pretty weird."

Maya smiled and released her hold on the man. "You see? I've had good ideas this whole honeymoon!"

"I guess..." Phoenix begrudgingly agreed, "considering we aren't even married."

"Well no we're 'bonded for life into a single beating heart of love,' wasn't it?"

Phoenix buried his face in his hand. "Ugh, just let me forget that..."

Maya giggled to herself. "You seriously need better pickup lines. I'm sure you just need a little practice." She playfully nudged him in the side. "You do well enough, I'll even let you take me out to a second breakfast."

Phoenix laughed in kind and shook his head. "Let's see if we can't fill all your stomachs before then, alright?"

Maya only grinned happily in response as she led their way. The "just friends" barrier was incredibly strong. She should know, having built it herself the day Phoenix stepped into her life like the hero he was. Yet she could feel the cracks and splinters that lined its surface. It was a terrifying and exhilarating feeling.

The seeds had been planted. They would eventually grow and overtake that wall, forcing it to crumble. Maya knew this. Yet for right now, she was just going to eat a fancy breakfast with her best friend in a hotel they couldn't afford.


End file.
